Louis XIII style Ovolo frame (for Ingres's Portrait of the Princesse de Broglie)

Art Historical Context

This elegant Louis XIII style ovolo frame, crafted in the United States between 1950 and 1960, was specially designed to house Jean-Auguste-Dominiquegres's masterful *Portrait of the Princesse Broglie* (1853). Drawing from early 17th-century French aesthetics—evoking the reign of King Louis XIII—the frame features a classic ovolo profile a gently convex molding that mimics the refined architectural details of historic European palaces. Though a modern creation, it bridges centuries, enhancing the Neoclassical elegance of Ingres's portrait with period-appropriate grandeur. Made of pine with intricate plaster ornaments, the frame is finished in gilt over pink-orange bole, a traditional technique that creates a warm, luminous gold surface. The bole, a clay-like adhesive, not only secures the gold leaf but imparts a subtle rosy undertone, heightening the frame's opulence under museum lighting. Measuring over five feet tall, its generous proportions frame the painting's sight window perfectly, drawing the viewer's eye to the subject's poised nobility. Acquired as part of the Robert Lehman Collection in 1975 and now housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, this frame exemplifies 20th-century revivalism. It underscores how curators thoughtfully pair contemporary mounts with masterpieces, preserving cultural heritage while celebrating French design's enduring allure.